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MONTH'S DICTIONARY TERM:
Tomato: A widely cultivated South American plant (Lycopersicon
esculentum) having edible, fleshy, usually red fruit. Word History:
Among the greatest contributions to world civilization made by the early
inhabitants of the Americas are plant foods such as the potato and squash.
The tomato, whose name comes ultimately from the Nahuatl language spoken by
the Aztecs and other groups in Mexico and Central America, was another
important contribution. When the Spanish conquered this area, they brought
the tomato back to Spain and, borrowing the Nahuatl word tomatl for
it, named it tomate, a form shared in French, Portuguese, and early
Modern English. Tomate, first recorded in 1604, gave way to
tomato, a form created in English either because it was assumed to be
Spanish or under the influence of the word potato. As is well known,
people at first resisted eating this New World food because its membership
in the nightshade family made it seem potentially poisonous, but it is now
is an important element of many world cuisines.
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